Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Syria Native Discusses Resettlement Debate

I did stories for the 6:00 and 10:00 concerning the emerging debate over the resettlement of Syrian refugees in America. The governors of AR, MS, and TN (our coverage area) were among those requesting the placements here be halted after connections were made between the Paris attacks and Syria. I had no problem finding political opposition to the effort to stop resettlement. But finding a local Syrian immigrant took a lot of phone calls, texts, and emails. I finally found a man who came to the U.S. from Syria in 1992. He now works as a pharmaceutical researcher and professor at UTHSC. He said refugees are fleeing terror, not bringing it.